Six takeaways from Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico 2026

With Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico concluded, the first two major WorldTour stage races of 2026 are done. In France, riders faced classic harsh weather, while participants in Italy largely escaped it. Both races nevertheless provided plenty of insights for the spring and the rest of the season. WielerFlits summarizes the key takeaways.

Tadej Pogačar will wonder where to drop Mathieu van der Poel at Milan-San Remo
Anyone who followed Tirreno-Adriatico can't ignore one clear fact: Mathieu van der Poel is currently in exceptional form. On nearly every short climb in the race, the Dutchman appeared the strongest rider. A telling moment came in the fourth stage when, just before the top of the final climb, he effortlessly jumped onto the wheel of Isaac Del Toro. He even had to brake to avoid a collision, while the rest of the peloton was already riding at the limit.

His performance in the gravel stage also spoke volumes. On sections up to 12%, Van der Poel powered away from his rivals, seemingly holding that effort effortlessly all the way to the finish. His efforts resulted in two stage wins. Especially impressive was his victory in stage four: in the final kilometer, he made no mistakes and launched a sprint nearly 300 meters long, comparable to his winning sprint at Milan-San Remo last year. He sprinted clear of the other top riders by several bike lengths.

That must give Tadej Pogačar something to think about. Where can he drop Van der Poel on Saturday? In Tirreno-Adriatico, the Dutchman showed at efforts similar to those required on the Cipressa and Poggio that he had a significant surplus. Moreover, Alpecin-Deceuninck holds an extra ace. Jasper Philipsen finished in the same fourth stage, with over 2700 meters of climbing, only 26 seconds behind Van der Poel. The expectation is clear: MVDP is strong enough to launch the attack on Pogačar himself, with former winner (2024) Philipsen in reserve if it comes down to a sprint.

Visma | Lease a Bike is on track to challenge Pogačar in the Tour
Tadej Pogačar's benchmark this season so far is Strade Bianche. His solo was again impressive, even longer than in the two previous editions. Still, the gap to the second place was smaller than before. That may mean little, but it is interesting when looking at his biggest challenger for the Tour.

At Visma | Lease a Bike, everything seems to be proceeding according to plan. Jonas Vingegaard won Paris-Nice convincingly. In stage four, he benefited from the relentless pace set by Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe in harsh weather, then delivered the final blow himself. He won that stage and the following one simply because he was the strongest uphill.

The Paris-Nice field may have been the weakest in years, but the gap between Vingegaard and second-placed Daniel Felipe Martínez was the largest since 1939. That says a lot. Additionally, his team also looked strong. Edoardo Affini, Victor Campenaerts, and Bruno Armirail proved valuable pillars of support. Affini also showed he can seamlessly slot back into the Tour team if needed—like last year when Christophe Laporte withdrew.

Wout van Aert remains a question mark for the Flemish classics
Visma | Lease a Bike also played a key role in Tirreno-Adriatico. Matteo Jorgenson confirmed his excellent form there, following earlier performances in Faun-Ardèche Classic, Faun-Drôme Classic, and Strade Bianche. It's a shame we won’t see the American in such form in the Flemish classics.

This makes the situation around Wout van Aert all the more interesting. His preparation was disrupted by a broken ankle and illness right before the Opening Weekend. Although he often placed among the top ten in the Italian stages that suited him, he did not look dominant. He even sacrificed himself several times to support the stronger Jorgenson.

Van Aert clearly rode to gain race rhythm, but both he and the wider cycling world probably expected a bit more. On some climbs, he had to push 'just over the limit' to keep up. That helps build form but also means others are currently ahead—and they are expected to continue progressing in the coming weeks. Additionally, Van Aert's positioning remains a problem—something that also surfaced last spring.

INEOS Grenadiers are on par with Red Bull, Lidl-Trek, and Decathlon
Before the season, expectations were high around Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Lidl-Trek, and Decathlon CMA CGM. The first weeks have confirmed this assessment. Despite some bad luck—Olav Kooij remains sidelined for the time being, Tiesj Benoot is missing the entire spring with a hernia, and in-form Daan Hoole suffered a severe abrasion on his pinky tip after a hard crash at Paris-Nice—the French team remained visible, with Tobias Lund Andresen taking a stage win at Tirreno-Adriatico.

Lidl-Trek lost Juan Ayuso following a heavy crash at Paris-Nice, but the team time trial showcased the squad’s immense depth. At Tirreno-Adriatico, Giulio Ciccone rode with the best climbers and Jonathan Milan won a stage.

Mick and Tim van Dijke - photo: fotopersburo Cor Vos[/caption]

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe arguably made the biggest leap. In Paris-Nice, Mick and Tim van Dijke tore the peloton apart, ultimately helping Dani Martínez secure a podium spot in the overall classification. Meanwhile, in Tirreno-Adriatico, Giulio Pellizzari confirmed his status as a major talent. He is sometimes overlooked when attention goes to Paul Seixas and Isaac Del Toro.

But maybe we should add a fourth team to those three: INEOS Grenadiers. Under the leadership of sporting director Geraint Thomas, the team appears refreshed. In Paris-Nice, Kévin Vauquelin, Oscar Onley (until his crash and subsequent withdrawal), and Dorian Godon impressed, while in Tirreno-Adriatico, Magnus Sheffield, Thymen Arensman, and Filippo Ganna showed strong form.

Thymen Arensman and Magnus Sheffield - photo: fotopersburo Cor Vos[/caption]

Particularly in the time trials, INEOS took a clear step forward, winning the team time trial in France and placing three riders in the top four of the time trial in Italy. They were somewhat plagued by bad luck in Tirreno-Adriatico afterward, possibly hindering their momentum. Only time will tell. One clear observation: Filippo Ganna never gave the illusion that he could follow Pogačar on the Cipressa climb.

A new generation of GC riders is knocking louder at the door
The emergence of a new generation of GC riders was already visible last season, and this trend continues this spring. Isaac Del Toro, Giulio Pellizzari, and Kévin Vauquelin confirmed this immediately in Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico, while Oscar Onley lost his chance due to withdrawal.

Tobias Halland Johannessen also continues to develop. The Norwegian from Uno-X Mobility—already fifth in the Tour last year—is mixing it up more frequently on climbs, though he still receives relatively little international media attention. Lenny Martinez’s name is being mentioned more often. The mercurial French pocket climber won the final stage of Paris-Nice and finished fifth overall.

Additionally, Mathys Rondel made his presence felt again. The 22-year-old GC talent from Tudor Pro Cycling already showed impressive form earlier this year on Mallorca alongside Remco Evenepoel and confirmed it with a twelfth place in the UAE Tour and an eighth place in Paris-Nice. His contract extension until 2030, announced on Monday, was therefore no surprise. Another revelation of this young early season is 22-year-old Italian Alessandro Pinarello (NSN Cycling), who finished a commendable tenth at Tirreno-Adriatico.

Wildcard teams barely make their mark
A final cautious conclusion after these two stage races: the gap between WorldTeams and ProTeams seems again somewhat larger than a year ago.

Of the five ProTeams that started, only Tudor Pro Cycling was really competitive. TotalEnergies experienced some bad luck at Paris-Nice, though we occasionally saw a positive glimpse from Mattéo Vercher there. The other teams—Bardiani CSF-7 Saber, Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, Solution Tech-NIPPO-Rali, and also Pinarello-Q36.5 without Tom Pidcock—remained largely invisible.